Brown County gets new nature preserve

A broad-winged hawk, one of the many species to be protected by the new preserve. Photo by Len Blumin via Wikimedia Commons

A broad-winged hawk, one of the many species to be protected by the new preserve. Photo by Len Blumin via Wikimedia Commons

Kudos to the state's Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for establishing a new nature preserve in Brown County State Park — the largest preserve in the state.

Per the DNR:

The 3,339 acres feature a large, intact block of upland and floodplain forest that provides habitat for many species that are dependent on forest interiors, including the cerulean warbler, whip-poor-will, broad-winged hawk, timber rattlesnake and red bat.

“This nature preserve provides permanent protection for some of the rarest wildlife in Indiana, as well as one of the rarest trees in the state, the yellowwood. It also preserves one of the largest unfragmented forests remaining in Indiana,” said John Bacone, director of the DNR Division of Nature Preserves.